Caged
by Harmony's Whispers
Summary: Akashi had enough. It was certainly true that being able to be alive for eternity was a dream come true, but in his opinion, eternity means an endless torture. He once thought that this was a chance to be with him forever, but he now realized that he was foolish. Immortals, are humans after all, and they too suffer through pain, just like any other. They seek love too... [hiatus]
1. Chapter 1

I. Prologue

Akashi often asked himself just how long will he have to wait? Waiting for someone that could possibly sleep for eternity and never wake up. While it is true that he wasn't a normal human, in fact, he couldn't age and time would always stop on him. For him, there's no such thing as aging. He would forever be in a 18 years old body while in reality, he was much older than that.

They say that being an immortal is a good thing and it's a state that most people want to achieve, however, Akashi detest the every fact that he has an immortal body. He wish to be like anyone else and would die eventually, becoming one with Mother Nature. To him, being immortal means an endless torture that he couldn't escape no matter what.

Akashi had suffered for a long time and while 30 years wasn't that long in an immortal's opinion, to him, these 30 years is a huge number and that no matter what he do, this fact wouldn't be changed. And by each passing day, the numbers increase and soon another decade would pass by before he realize it. Every day, he had to wake up and realized that yet another day had passed... without his lover by his side.

Akashi hated having to wake up on an empty bed and he hate having to use a blanket without sharing its warmth with someone else. He hated how there's no one to greet him and welcome him back whenever he step into his empty mansion. No one to kiss him and hug him like everything would be fine despite what may be happening around them. He hated having to tell himself daily that everything would be fine and that as long as he wait patiently, that day would eventually come.

Just who is he kidding?

Day by day, his friends told him to just give up and that _he_ wouldn't wake up. But Akashi kept lying to himself. _He_ will wake up. Definitely. They say that he was a fool, believing in something that couldn't become reality. And Akashi know that he is one. But no matter what, he wanted to keep believing that _he_ will wake up or else, Akashi wouldn't have a reason to live anymore. What's the use of living in a world without his special person next to him? In a world where everyone will living happily while he was the only one suffering.

It was true that Akashi is known as an emperor, merciless and cruel, however, inside, he was just a small child craving for someone's love and attention. Inside, he was being caged and trapped inside a dark and deep chamber filled up with black water. He truly was suffocating, but no matter what he do, no one was there to extend their hand to him and rescue him. Not even his dead and beloved mother. Not even _him._

Akashi was getting mentally ill day by day and at this rate, he will go insane. He no longer cry silently when no one was watching for there was no tears left to shed. He no longer go wild on asking others for a possible cure for his lover because he now came to accept that it was a futile attempt and that he wouldn't get an answer that he wanted to hear no matter what. He no longer even go interact with his friends and decided to visit _that_ place every day just to see his loved one, hoping that _he_ would wake up miraculously.

Without realizing, his mind completely was filled with _him_ and he began to isolate himself from others, believing there was no use for them. There was no need for friends if _he_ wasn't there as well.

Subconsciously, he began to move forward, sliding his fingers across the wall that had collected dust over time. His lover wasn't there to clean it and since Akashi doesn't allow anyone to enter his mansion, no, his and his lover's mansions, the entire mansion haven't been cleaned in a long time. But surprisingly, there are no mice nor insects in the mansion despite the bad state this housing was in.

He stopped in front of a huge door and he pushed it in. The doors creaked as Akashi stepped in slowly, observing each details in the room with a longing look. This room, and only this room had been preserved in its best condition because this room is the only room that Akashi had taken the liberty to actually clean it and make sure this room remains the same state for decades to come. This was all so that once _he_ wake up, _he_ would recognize his room and feel happy about it. Akashi would do anything to make _him_ happy.

At last, Akashi's eyes landed on the huge portrait of a beautiful and enticing male that would often be mistaken as a female. The bluenette was wearing a light pale yukata, sitting near the porch during a hot summer. Everything was drawn realistically as if this was a photograph instead of a portrait done by hand.

"Tetsuya..." Akashi said with affection. "I missed you, my love."

He stand there for 20 or so minutes, just staring at the portrait and imagining that his lover was right in front of him, smiling warmly like he used to. Touching him tenderly like he used to. Loving him deeply and caringly like he used to.

Finally, Akashi decided to sit on the bed where he can view the portrait completely. His eyes then moved towards the wardrobe and Akashi walked toward it, pulling out his lover's clothing.

He touched it carefully, fearing that one touch would ruin the clothing, reducing the limited amount of his lover's possessions. He leaned forward and rested his head on the yukata, inhaling the lingering smell on the clothing. But as expected, there wasn't the familiar vanilla smell since his lover haven't wear this piece for a long time. The smell had long been gone, clearly proving to Akashi that his love haven't been near him for a long time.

However, this small detail doesn't matter to Akashi at this moment and he continued to chant his lover's name, picturing himself hugging his Tetsuya right this instant. He really missed his lover's touch. His warmth. His smooth skin. His cerulean eyes. His plump lips. His kisses. His moans. His everything.

And finally Akashi couldn't bear it any longer. He ran hurriedly down the basement and eventually reached a spacious dark room light up by torches. In the center, there was a huge ice with his Tetsuya trapped inside, sleeping. He was definitely alive, but his eyes wouldn't open no matter what. It doesn't matter how long Akashi called for him until his throat became dry, Tetsuya just wouldn't open his eyes.

However, this doesn't prevent Akashi from loving him like he used to. Akashi would always touch the ice, pretending it doesn't exist, and spread his fingers as if he was touching Tetsuya's hand.

His lips would touch right where Tetsuya's lips were if not for the ice and day by day, without fail, Akashi would talk to Tetsuya so the bluenette wouldn't feel as lonely. At times, Akashi had decided to sleep right next to Tetsuya, laying on the floor and began to talk and talk for as long as he wishes to.

And it's fine if Tetsuya doesn't respond because that was expected.

Akashi know that his Tetsuya would come back to him. Come back into his arms.

He know...

... because he trust his Tetsuya.

I. Prologue

* * *

Hello everyone! This chapter is very short because I don't really want to reveal too much information, but I hope that it serves its purpose to catch your attention. I want to clarify that this was set in the modern time period, however, there are supernatural things unknown to humans, which will be revealed later on.

Please do review if you have time!


	2. Chapter 2

Replies to Guests:

Guest- I'm glad that this story caught your interest! =D

c- Tetsuya is wearing something! ^^ But if you want him to be naked, feel free to imagine it however you wish! :)

Snow- I'll keep that answer hidden for now so I wouldn't spoil anything!

Enjoy~

* * *

II. Will I...

Akashi stared out the moving limo, watching the scenery change as the car moves along. He felt very bored, going through the same routine almost every day without new events occurring to brighten up his day. The majority of the week, he would attend school then attend basketball practice. After that, he would return home to be tutored in various lessons like learning how to play violin, calligraphy, etc. And then the whole cycle repeats itself.

Without notice, the limo gently pulled to a stop and Akashi's butler opened the door for him. Dressed in a black formal suit, he bowed and said, "Have a good day, bocchan." Akashi nodded as a response as he stepped out of the car. He walked past the school gate and already, he was attracting attention despite the fact that he wasn't doing anything to gain attention.

Students glanced at him: some looked at him with wary while others with admiration. But everyone ultimately fears him. Akashi knew how he was being presented by others and know that people still fears him today even though his original self swapped with the golden-eyed Akashi, people still regard him as the "tyrant emperor". Akashi was fine with people fearing him because this way, people will keep their distance and Akashi would have some privacy. Already, when he set one foot into the school, people would move out of his way and let Akashi walk through without him ever asking for it.

He walked past them and entered the school. Once he was inside, immediately, his classmates stopped talking and all looked anywhere besides Akashi because they know Akashi, the golden-eyed one, hate people speaking to him, looking directly in his eyes, as if they're on an equal level. To them, it doesn't matter if the bokushi Akashi disappeared because they'll always remember what _he_ done. Oreshi Akashi doesn't feel the same way though he do wants to feel respected but not to an extreme level. However, teachers and students alike still couldn't forget what bokushi done and thus, distance themselves from the real Akashi.

Akashi silently sat down. This was what happens typically and Akashi was used to it. However, he do had to admit that this was kind of lonely since everyone fears him and weren't willing to get close to him. Therefore, Akashi sought comfort after school ended since he know that at least the Rakuzan basketball members would get close to him and treats him somewhat as their equal. Akashi inwardly smiled at that thought. And so throughout class, he would constantly glance at the clock, in hopes that school would would end faster, though he would never admit to the regulars that he does appreciate their friendly interaction towards him.

That was what goes through his head all day and Akashi soon find himself walking towards the gym. But in the students' view, Akashi looked like he was speed-walking. He quickly opened the gym doors and inwardly smiled as he watched Reo and the others already warming up and getting ready to begin training. Since they lost to Seirin in the Winters Cup, the regulars were training more harsher in order to obtain the trophy next year. Rakuzan will be the winner. Not the loser.

At the corner of his eyes, Akashi noticed few non-regular members hanging out on the bench and not warming up. "You three, go get changed and warm up."

The three members doesn't seem so happy being commanded by a first-year but obeyed nonetheless since Akashi is the captain and had absolute power over them.

"Why the fuck do we need to obey a first year when we're seniors?" One of them whispered angrily, making sure Akashi wouldn't hear it.

"Can't help it; he _is_ the fucking captain," his friend replied, sighing.

"Captain my ass, all he do is talk shit. 'I am absolute.' Absolute my ass! Who the fuck do he think he is?!"

"We should teach him a lesson so that he'll never order us around," Another friend joined.

"Yeah!"

On the other hand, Reo shouted "Sei-chan!" as he waved towards Akashi. The redhead then walked toward his teammate and at this moment, Reo pulled him towards the court. "One-on-one?"

Akashi was a bit startled at the sudden request but replied nonetheless, "Of course, though I'd hope that you're prepared to lose."

Reo laughed, "I won't lose, Sei-chan!"

"We'll see."

Moments later, the game between them had ended and of course, Akashi had won. However, even though Reo knew the outcome before the two will start the game, it still hurt a bit to find himself losing. But nevertheless, he had no regrets since his opponent was Akashi. In fact, he felt slightly proud of himself to be able to play against Akashi for this long. It was all worth of it at the end. Thanks to Seirin for making him and his team realize the enjoyment in playing basketball and that was a lifelong lesson that he'll never ever forget for the rest of his life.

Reo sighed and stretched his arms and legs as he collapsed on the floor. The ceiling from above suddenly looks very pleasing to look out. This sight was very familiar to him, due to him being a basketball player. But recently, he found himself staring at it while his thoughts go in all directions. This really made him realize just how much they, and _he_ had changed. Before, he never really consider the simple things in life, to simply enjoy playing the sport, but rather, he was extremely focused on winning. And now, he had a more broader perspective on basketball and just maybe, he can inherit Seirin's spirit of being free. "So tired!~"

Akashi shake his head, "Mibuchi, get up! You still need to run 100 laps."

It felt weird to hear his family's name out of Akashi's mouth, since he was so used to Akashi calling him Reo. Reo immediately sat up and his mouth dropped to the floor, "100?! Sei-chan, you want to kill me?!"

"100 laps is but a small feat for you. Now get up before I double that amount," Akashi threatened and as expected, Reo jumped to his feet and began running, joining the other regulars who already began. They knew that Akashi would tell them to do the same, so it's better if they began the training earlier.

Meanwhile, Akashi was observing them, taking notice of their weaknesses and calculating where they can improve, then he would come up with ways to strengthen their skills. His team still had a long way to go and their bright future doesn't stop here after their first defeat against Seirin. Due to his first taste of defeat, Akashi finally realized that while winning is important, losing doesn't necessarily means that it is the end. Losing means that you still have a means to improve and this experience made Akashi realize what he was lacking and needs to improve.

While that was certainly a good thing, Akashi now had a problem to face because of it. After Akashi swapped with his other self, he felt that he still needs to fix the holes his former self left behind. Bokushi had left behind fear in other people and Akashi had tried to redeem himself by behaving in a way that _normal_ people should behave, but it seems that so far, his efforts doesn't produce any change on the way other people behave around him.

Akashi had to admit that he was struggling to accomplish this task. While the regulars acted a bit more carefree with him compared to the past, the rest of the student body still treats him as a monster.

He can only hope that in the long run, everything will work out just as fine.

If only bokushi still talk to him, then Akashi wouldn't feel so lonely. To him, bokushi is like a brother and he was definitely irreplaceable. After their defeat in the Winter Cup, bokushi just cease to exist, but in reality, Akashi can feel that bokushi is still somewhere deep in his mind, but it seems like his first taste of defeat still taunts him even till this day. Bokushi just refuse any form of communication and oreshi had no choice but to give up for now.

However, right now he desperately needs his brother's support and yet no hands were extended to him.

Oreshi had to get through this...

Alone.

* * *

Akashi was the last person in the gym currently and yet he wasn't about to stop training despite the fact that his whole body was sweaty and wet. He panted heavily as he chugged down a bottle of water throatily. The basketball he was using previously rolled on the ground, bumping onto the bench that Akashi was sitting on.

He grabbed his towel quickly and clean off the liquid on his face. Akashi sat there for a solid minute or so since he was too tired to move and finally decided to pack his belongings and leave.

As he exit the gymnasium, he make sure to look the door as part of his responsibility and check for the last time that everything was in order. He slung his bag on his shoulder and walked away. His pace was slow but confident, just like how an Akashi should behave. His father's lesson was deeply ingrained in him, that every single etiquette was memorized and executed by him daily. Even if he was no longer in front of the public at the moment, he still behave just like how he would behave in front of an audience.

He paused suddenly as a sudden breeze blew past him, causing his hair to fly in all directions, but at the same time, it also caused the rising heat raised by the intense training to lose its strength, and Akashi felt much more cooler than before. But regardless, Akashi still has the urge to continue training, but he knew that he was almost at his limit and if he tried to surpass that boundary, consequences will most likely fall upon him, so it was to his best interest to stop.

He glanced up at the moonlit sky and suddenly felt that he was so small compared to this vast sky. He used to feel that he was on top of the food chain, better than anyone can ever be. He felt like an absolute monarch and would not let anyone disobey him. But in reality, he was one of the billions of people on this world and his entire being hardly matters. It doesn't matter if he die or just vanish into thin air; Earth would still revolve around peacefully like it used to for millions upon millions of years. Sure, his past and current teammates might feel sad over his death, but they'll get over with it in no time. With that mindset, Akashi realized that he really overestimated his worth.

But at the same time, the sky also brought upon memories of his deceased mother since his mother used to tell him stories about the stars from above. Akashi wasn't one to dwell on the past, but he have his moments where he needs to sit down and have some time to himself, just like now. By now, Akashi couldn't fully capture his mother's face without looking back at the only remaining photograph he have of his mother due to his father burning the rest because he couldn't bare seeing his wife. That however, doesn't mean that Akashi will forget eveything his mother had done for him and those precious moments will still exist deep inside of him for forever.

"What a peaceful night..."

Akashi closed his eyes to enjoy this moment.

 _SNORE_...

Akashi opened his eyes and turned to the side. What was that?

The redhead carefully observe the situation. There shouldn't be anyone here except for him. Unless...

 _SNORE_...

Akashi walked forward and turn around the corner, only to see a pair of long legs and a very familiar pair of sneakers.

He turned on the flashlight in his phone and directed the light on the person below him. "Nebuya?" The tanned male only wince slightly at the light, but continued to snore loudly as he turned to his side.

"Nebuya, wake up. Don't test my patience."

 _SNORE..._

Akashi pinched Nebuya harshly and the tanned male jumped up.

"What the fuck!"

"Watch your mouth, Nebuya. But more importantly, what are you doing here?"

Nebuya looked away in embarrassment, "I was taking a nap here and slept for too long..."

"I see, well, just be more aware next time. You should go home now."

Nebuya bowed awkwardly and after greeting goodbye, he ran home since he know that his mother was already angry at his lateness and her anger would increase if Nebuya decided to take his time.

Akashi stared after Nebuya's retreating back and once he was gone, Akashi also decided to go home. He traveled slowly, with one step slower than the previous one. He dreaded the fact that he'll be entering that place once more; the place that was filled with bad memories. In addition, no one will be there to welcome him back except for his servants, so what was the point?

Akashi looked up once he felt a presence and it seems that there are more than one person. A group of people, around fifteen or so surrounded Akashi, completely trapping him. However, this does not make Akashi feel the slightest bit of fear; he just stare at each and every one of them and finally said, "May I ask just what do you all want from me?"

One of them grinned, "Oh, you don't want to know..."

"Yeah! Now's the chance to beg us and maybe we'll consider beating you up a _bit_ gently!" Another joined in. His friends all laughed, holding the same thought and through their eyes, they were chanting: Beg! Beg! Beg! They enjoyed watching their victims fear and beg for their lives, which make them feel more superior and ultimately making the game more enjoyable.

"I'll let this slide if you would kindly move out the way and let me return home," Akashi stated calmly, but he knew that common sense just doesn't work with these people. Normally, he can handle this situation since he was well trained in various martial arts, but right now, he was clearly outnumbered and all of them seems to be well-trained and armed, as indicated by their weapons on hand. He knew that this wouldn't end well, but he had to test his luck and hope for the best. But somewhere inside him, he knew that today is just his bad luck and things most likely wouldn't end well.

"What's with your fucking attitude?! We're the one in charge!" Two people moved closer behind the redhead's back and tried to grasp Akashi's wrist in order to hold him down while their fellow friends beat him up. They however, didn't take into consideration that Akashi would notice and therefore once Akashi kicked them in the gut, they didn't block and ended up crouching in pain.

Akashi get into fighting mode and for now, he'll tried to fight them off and escape once he saw a chance to do so.

And all of the sudden, all the abusers rushed up to Akashi, with weapons raised to dealt some damage. Akashi was doing well for the first few minutes, but he soon was struggling. Not only did he had to shield himself countless times from the incoming weapons using his arms and back, but since it was one against fifteen, Akashi was losing.

Various bruises started to form on Akashi's skin, but the redhead tried to refrain from showing any hints of pain and continued to fight. He hope that after all this time, at least someone would notice and contact 911. If only he can hold on for that long, then that would be ideal.

But someone used a bat and swing across Akashi's head... and Akashi doesn't have the chance to block.

 _WHAM!_

The force pushed Akashi down to the ground and while his head was suffering from an intense pain, like it feels like something is emitting a strong vibration inside his brain, the abusers all attacked his fallen form at once. For the first time, Akashi let out a sound akin to a scream of pain, but this doesn't stop the abusers.

Akashi could feel the back of his head wet, but he tried his hardest to not worry about it. He glanced up weakly, watching his attackers grinning with satisfaction.

"If you... back down now, you wouldn't be punished... severely," Akashi wheezed out, but that wasn't the best thing to say as the attacker's face scrunched up with anger.

"This son of a..."

Akashi didn't see anything after he saw a knife coming down toward him at a fast speed and he didn't bother to move since he knew it was futile. The burning pain that followed afterwards was what he can strongly rememeber, though he'd remembered himself choking, most likely his own blood, and then everything fades away.

No sounds...

No people...

Just... nothing.

II. ...Be Forever Alone?

* * *

With permission from FallenCrowOfHell, I was allowed to use the idea on how bokushi is now avoiding oreshi.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and do review please!~


End file.
